Yarn controlling device



March 13, 1951 Filed March 17, 1950 1. H. c. GREEN 2,545,081

YARN CONTROLLING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 13, l951 l. H. c. GREEN 2,545,081

EARN CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed March 17, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N l f [NVE/vraie: Isn/10H ci JRE/xg Any K March 13, 1951 l. H. c. GREEN 2,545,081

YARN CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed March 17, 195o 5 sheets-sheet 5 respect.

as by knitting a knit-in or inlaid elastic top in Patented Mar. 13, 1951 UNITED ySTATES, PATENT OFFICE YARN CONTROLLING DEVICE Isaac H. C. Green, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 17, 1950, Serial No. 150,329

3 Claims. (Cl. 66-138) This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in yarn controlling devices and, in

particular, devices for controlling the yarns at a certain point of knitting of so-called solid color Apatterned fabric by automatic multi-feed ma-,

chines such as that disclosed and claimed in U. S. Letters Patent #2,217,022 to which an automat- :ically produced, rotary knit, inlaid or knit-in elastic top has been added. i

As described in the patent referred to, the patterned portions of the 'fabric are knit in the reciprocatory manner of a plurality of yarns all of which are Vknit during each stroke of the cylinder but independ-ently and each in a fraction only of the circumference of the fabric, the several fractions being connected to adjacent portions by true 2 taken by. the needles when its lever is moved into action;

Fig. 2 is a view of part of a mechanism by which this device may be operated; and

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating other parts of this 4 operating mechanism.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the device consists of a flat linger-like pusher I, the lower endy 2 -of which is so shaped and positioned as to be engageable with the idle yarns 3 within the cyll inder when they havebeen Wound together. as

sutures. During Vsuch knitting the several yarns tend to wind about each other as shown, for

the rotary manner, all of the other yarns-,with the exception'of the body yarn being out of action, wind around each other continuously :throughout--thewknittinglof the top. The result is that when the, introduction of one of these other yarns is attempted it may Well be that the yarn'with which it is interwound and which is still out of action will preventit `from following its yarn leverdownwardly sufficiently to enable it to be caught by the needles. In particular, this is likely to happen at the beginning of the leg just after the elastic yarn feed has been withdrawn because then to the winding of the yarns referred to above is added the upward pull of the elastic. The purpose of this invention is to provide means for pushing the twisted idle yarns downwardly into the cylinder a suicient distance so that the twist adjacent the yarn levers is eliminated or so lessened that a yarn lever can drop its yarn into needle taking position without interference from another yarn.

One form of the invention is shown in the drawings of Which:

Fig. 1 is a general View partly in section showing this invention in operation to project the idle yarns into the cylinder as just described to assure that any one of them will be in position to be elastic yarn is to be takenout,vrocke`r I1y is raised already described. Its operative position is shown in full line in Fig. 1. Its idle position is shown in dot and dash lines. Pusher I is attached to a slide 4 which 1s vertically slidable in suitable guides such as 5 and 6 in a bracket l. Slide 4 is vprovided with a stud 8 in pivotal and slidable contact with an arm 9 which is pivoted at Iv on bracket I and the other end ofwhich is similarly connected to one end of an arm II. AArm II is pivoted to the bracket 1 at I2 and the other end I3 is pivotally connected to a vertically movable rod I4. A collar I5 is affixed to rod I 4 adjacent its lower end and above this collar is slidably mounted on rod I4 a block I'Eawhich isv rigidly lconnected to rod I5.

Rod I5 is pivotally connected to one end of a rocker I'l, the other end fofv which is associated with a pattern drum I8.

The primary duty of rodl I6 is to move elastic yarnfeed la into and out of yarn feeding position;v In the arrangement shown it is assumed that, when the end of rocker I1 rests upon the lsurface of drum I8, the elastic yarn feed is down in its yarn feeding position for `the making of the elastic top. When the top is completed and the by cam 20 on drum I8. However, the move of the drum at this point is of such length that rocker I'I will not only be raised onto cam 20 but will also be raised still higher on to cam 2| and will then be dropped off this cam to the full line position shown in Fig. 3. This additional raising of rocker Il will raise the elastic yarn feed still higher but this is immaterial since the elastic yarn is out of action. It will also supply the necessary movement to rod I4 through rod I6, block Ilia, collar I5 and the linkage described to move the pusher I from its inoperative position shown in dot and dash in Fig. 1 to its operating position shown in full line in that figure. The parts of the operating mechanism will then be in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 and the full line l to the top of 20 where it is shown in full line in Fig. 3 by a single move of drum I8, if the operation of pusher l depended entirely upon rocker il its operating period could not be properly timed. To obviate this diiculty, a latch 22 is pivotally attached to a suitable part of the machine and is adapted toV engage a pink 34 affixed to rod IB. When rod [6 is lowered byy thef lifting of rocker il' by cam 2l, the latch 22 Will engage pin 23 and will thereafter retain rod I'B in down position although rocker Il' is no longer riding upon cam 2l. Thus pusher l may be maintained in its operating position as long as. desired.v As a rule, this need be for only a. fraction of one reciprocation of the machine. The means by Which latch 22 is tripped so that rod IB and, consequently, rod I4, the linkage H: andfl'and` pusher l can move into their inoperative positionsV shown in dot and dash in Figs.,1 and 2 consists of a small drum 24 adapted to.- rotate atthe same angular speed as the cylinder. Drum 24 is provided' with a. roller 25 adaptedto. engage and swing down the tail 2B ofA latch l2A so that it will' release rod t by assumingr thev position shown in dotted.V line in Fig. 2.

It will be understood, of course, that when pusher IV is in its inactive dot. and dash line position the yarns Willoccupy a position considerably higher adjacent thev center of the cylinder than that shown in Fig. I. To avoid confusion, this is not. shown. Also, it. will be understood that the fabric being knit will' rest upon the sinkers and will extend; downwardly into the cylinder in the usual way. The fabric also has been omitted for the same. reason. While this invention has beenrd'escribed in connection with the specific and uniquek machine disclosed and claimed in the patent referred to, it will be understood.` ofcourse, that its scope isl not limited by such descriptive association but. extends to any other. situation in which it may be. used. to advantage.

I claim:

1.. In a knitting machine having a cylinder, needles and yarn levers. and in which yarns from a plurality of yarnY levers become wound together adjacent the center of the cylinder so that individual yarns may be prevented from being taken by needles when the respective. yarn levers are brought into: action. means. for pushing such.- interwound yarns downwardly into the cylinder so that additional yarn is drawn through each yarn lever and the interwinding correspondingly lessened adjacent the yarn 1evers so that a yarn when its. lever is moved into operating position will follow it to a position at 'which the yarn can be taken by the needles and means for actuating said pushing means at a predetermined time in relation to the knitting by the machine.

2. In a knitting machine having a cylinder, needles and yarn levers 4and in which yarns from ay plurality of yarn levers. become Wound together adjacent the center of the cylinder so that individual yarns may be prevented from being taken by needles when the respective yarn levers are brought into action, means for pushing suchinterwound yarns downwardly into the cylinder so. that additional yarn is drawn through each yarn lever and the interwinding correspondingly lessened adjacent the yarn 1eversso that a yarnl when its lever is moved into operating position will follow it to a position at which the yarn can betaken by the needles and means for causing said pusher to engage and lower said yarns within said' cylinder, means-for retaining said pusher-in' this-position and means for releasing said pusher to enable it to return to its original position.

3. In a knitting machine having a cylinder, needles and aplurality of yarn feeding stations each provided Withl a plurality of' yarn levers and in which yarns from levers at each feeding station becomes woundl together adjacent the center of the cylinder' so.- that individualv yarns may beprevented from being taken by.-` needles when the'- respective yarn levers are brought into action, means for pushing suchE interwound yarns downwardly into the, cylinder so that additional yarn isf drawn through each yarn lever and the intervvinding correspondingly lessened adjacentthev yarn levers solthat a yarn when its leverislmoved into: operating position will follow it to a" position: at which the yarn can be/ taken by the needles andv means for actuating said pushing means at a predetermined time in relation. tothe knitting; by themachine.

ISAAC H. C'. GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencest are of. record iny the le of this patent.:`

Number Name Date 1,523,496 Simek Jan. 20, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS- Number Country Date 13- Great. Britain of 1898 

